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Thursday, June 30, 2005

Maybe They're not Completely Tone-Deaf, and Two Brief Notes on the War in Iraq

In the wake of the American Fork City's unspecified settlement with developer Dan Richards, who predictably sued in the aftermath of recent, bungled flap about Hunter Park, the City Council had an opportunity to anger a lot of residents near Hunter Park by giving away some prime park land to another developer, in trade for . . . other stuff. A motion was made, but when it was time for a second, nothing happened. Motions not seconded die - but don't be surprised if the matter is revived somehow in the near future.

The most encouraging sign that the proposal is really dead will be when the contractor finishes the Hunter Park parking lot, which apparently is about to happen - on the acreage that was proposed as part of the trade.

Conclusion: Maybe the City's elected leaders are not politically tone-deaf, after all.

Brief note: I chanced to meet a gentleman in American Fork yesterday who recently returned from more than a year in Iraq. His job in his Guard unit was driving a tanker - "a big target," I called it, and he agreed. Then he told me something which contradicts the prevailing wisdom about Iraq among the Big Media Acronyms and their biggest junkies, the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. (I know, I know. It doesn't look now like there is any other wing of that party, but someday there will be again. And I've called them the Undemocratic Party a few times here recently, but I think I'll save that moniker for the next time they try to block a high-profile vote, or at least the next time I decide to write about that.)

This soldier said that, in all the time his unit was in Iraq, it took no enemy fire whatsoever. They heard some nearby sometimes, but took none themselves. Not bad for a "quagmire."

Other brief note: Someone else I know in the valley astutely observed this week that there seems to be some dissension in the Democratic Congressional ranks. Some think we should lose the war in Iraq quickly, and some think we should lose it slowly.

Memo to . . . whoever is setting the Democratic message: The populace at large is not as gullible as you think. They are onto you. They can see that you're rooting for our enemies against our sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and friends - and doing everything you think you can get away with to help those enemies defeat us. At least enough of them can see it. This is not news, either. Did you think November 2, 2004, was a fluke?

Copyright 2005 by David Rodeback.
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